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Alpha
Little is currently known about Alpha, the rogue doll. It had been recently confirmed that Alpha would be played by Alan Tudyk. But now that the producers have dropped clues that we may have already seen Alpha without realizing it, this may not be the case. And recent picture evidence seams to indicate that Tudyk may in deed have the role. Flashbacks from "The Target" suggest that the Alpha's killing spree and escape were, in fact, an unforeseen byproduct of the technology the Dollhouse uses to program its actives, an incident they have dubbed a "composite event." In this unique event, all of his previous imprinted personalities resurfaced simultaneously. Alpha was forced to process countless world-class talents and equally countless and irreconcilable memories, which caused a psychotic break; Alpha has become an omnidisciplinary psychopath. Topher noted to begin with that Alpha, as one of the earlier dolls, has "default" fighting abilities in his doll state, whereas later dolls did not receive such a default skill set due to its dangerous and unpredictable nature. This however proved to be a problem for the Dollhouse population when Alpha went on his rampage has the dolls where unable and unaware of how to defend themselves from Alpha's attacks and were quickly killed. Alpha's character and mindset have been described as having "multiple personalities and a fragmented and twisted individual thanks to the Dollhouse's influence over him". Characterization Alpha is extremely aggressive and unstable due to his composite event. Indeed, the fact that the composite event has caused many, if not all, of his imprints to reactivate could mean Alpha has something akin to dissociative personality disorder on a scale never likely seen before. Despite these downfalls, Alpha has shown he is capable of mercy (though he may have ulterior motives), as he spared Dr. Saunders and fellow doll Echo. His fixation on Echo shows Alpha's focus and obsession, regardless of whether he is fixated on her or on rescuing her. His altruism may extend to helping Echo save herself; though he sabotages her engagements, endangering her in the process, the engagements also seem to be learning experiences, providing her with evolving self-awareness. This would suggest that Alpha may be trying to bring about a stable composite event for Echo. Alpha is also an intelligent strategist: see "The Target" and "Gray Hour" as prime examples of this. In "The Target," Alpha appeared to be the mastermind behind the hunt that led to Echo learning she deserved to live. He covered his tracks, eliminating an accomplice at the end of the engagement. In "Gray Hour," he displayed remarkable intelligence when he performed a remote wipe on Echo by hacking the Dollhouse's secure signal, suggesting that Alpha can utilize the combined intellect and skills of his different imprints. As stated before, Alpha may have the mindset of a person with dissociative identity disorder, but if we consider the fact that Alpha is the first Doll to suffer a composite event we have no idea "who" is in control of his body. In other words, it is hard to tell if Alpha is functioning as his pre-doll persona with added extra skills and memories, or if different imprints/personalities have control of the body at different moments. If the latter is the case, it is possible that Alpha's different actions (i.e. killing, helping Echo and Paul) may be the work of two or more different personalities that are either working together or are opposing forces trying to reach the same goal of taking down the Dollhouse. Quirks/ personality traits Though Alpha's face has not actually appeared on screen, flashbacks and clips have shown he seems to have interesting quirks and idiosyncrasies. One prime example can be found in the first episode where he sits mostly (if not completely) naked in a room of a house where he has just killed two people, watching a video of Echo. Also he doesn't sit on a seat but rather quite casually on a tabletop. He has a unique method of killing people where, after disabling them, he cuts all the major blood vessels, a process Boyd described as causing the maximum amount of damage and pain for the victim. It is hard to tell whether these quirks are "normal" or part of the insanity from the composite event. He also sends his imformation to Paul Ballard in manila envolopes with fairly decent handwriting and no address. Dialog from "The Target" Concerning Alpha's violent tendencies: :Boyd Langton: down on Actives doing Tai Chi Look at them. Just a bunch of helpless children. Did the ones Alpha slaughtered even put up a fight? :Topher Brink: They wouldn't know how. Not without an imprint. :Boyd Langton: Why not default them with ninja skills or whatever? :Topher Brink: We tried that once. :Boyd Langton: And? :Topher Brink: Blood. Screaming. Dying. :Boyd Langton: Alpha. Concerning Alpha's modus operandi: :Boyd Langton: A single blade, non-serrated, ten to twelve centimeters. The tendons in the extremities were severed first to disable him, and then the real work started. He knew exactly where to cut to cause the maximum amount of damage and pain. Whoever did this took their time. :Laurence Dominic: Eight seconds. That's the timeline we've been able to piece together. :Boyd Langton: The cuts are meticulous, almost surgical. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to carve up a man like this so fast. :Laurence Dominic: It is, unless you've been imprinted with the necessary skills. :Boyd Langton: You're telling me you programmed one of your dolls to be Jack the Ripper? :Laurence Dominic: Not my department. All I know is that Alpha accessed multiple imprints, personalities that should have been erased, and one of them did this and slaughtered everyone around your girl before pulling a smoke-and-mirrors. Biography The Escape Three months prior to the time frame of the show, Alpha escaped from Dollhouse. He savagely attacked and killed dolls and Dollhouse staff alike, but for some unknown reason, spared Echo's life. This would imply a connection between the two characters. One of the many victims of Alpha's massacre was Echo's previous handler Samuelson - every major blood vessel in his body surgically severed in less than ten seconds. Dr. Saunders retains scars from her own encounter with Alpha during his attack, though she survived. Alpha escaped alive, but Dr. Saunders and other staff members were told that the Dollhouse managed to track and kill Alpha. Alpha appears to be alive and at large despite what the Dollhouse has told its staff. His current whereabouts are unknown, but he appears to be aiding/using Paul Ballard to take down the Dollhouse. His file is shown at the end of the pilot as the heads of the Dollhouse discuss him briefly, stating that he needs to be contained. Elsewhere, a mysterious man watches a video of Echo's previous life before sending a picture of her to Paul, telling him to "keep looking." The overlap with the discussion of Alpha suggests that their rogue doll is in fact the mysterious man, who sits near two dead bodies, suggesting that Alpha is willing to kill to either expose the Dollhouse or to protect Echo, or Echo's original persona, Caroline. The identities of these latest victims remain unknown, though it has been speculated that they are either Dollhouse operatives or Caroline's parents. If the latter is true, it would indicate that Alpha is highly deranged and entertains a dangerous obsession with Echo, Caroline, or both. "The Target" Alpha appears to be the mastermind behind Richard Connell's subversive engagement with Echo. Depending on how much of the scenario Alpha planned, it reveals a lot about his capabilities. Connell's identity was forged to pass the Dollhouse's background check; Alpha himself may have created it. He may have also been the one who provided Connell with the drugged water that Echo drank and caused her to see some of her previous imprints, which would suggest he has a chemical expertise has well. The events of "The Target" would also seem to suggest that Alpha is testing Echo for an unknown reason, which may be to discern if Echo is similar to Alpha. Echo survived the ordeal Connell put her through, who commented, "He was right about you. You really are special," to a confused Echo after she had to kill him in self defense. The "he" to which Connell referred may have been Alpha. Alpha himself helped to clean up the aftermath of the encounter, as an accomplice of Richard's was found murdered in a manner similar to the murder of Echo's previous handler. Dr. Saunders noted that this was technically impossible since Alpha had (supposedly) been hunted down and killed by Dollhouse operatives. "Stage Fright" Though Alpha did not appear on screen in this episode, Echo's ability to operate outside the mission parameters is reminiscent of Alpha's composite event. When discussing Echo's unorthodox method of protecting Rayna, Dr. Saunders reminded Boyd Langton that being special in the Dollhouse can be a dangerous thing. Even though Boyd felt convinced that the Dollhouse would not get rid of its best Active, Dr. Saunders states that Echo wasn't always the best. The Dollhouse higher-ups have also made the connection, throwing Echo's future as an Active into uncertainty. "Gray Hour" Alpha once again made a move against the Dollhouse when he remotely wiped Echo's imprint during her engagement. Again, his actions tested Echo, possibly to grant her the opportunity to develop skills, beliefs, and a personality. This feat shows Alpha to have access to Dollhouse intel and tremendous technical skills. He had to have both to hack into their system to access Echo's cell number and to perform the remote wipe; a feat that even Topher cannot achieve. Topher correctly deduced that only Alpha could do this and must therefore be alive, and received confirmation after DeWitt upped his security clearance. She further explained that even though the Dollhouse was able to track him for awhile, the "gifts" Alpha has makes finding and confining him impossible. "True Believer" Alpha was mentioned by Laurence Dominic, Dollhouse's head of security while expressing concern about Echo's growing unpredictability - described as being similar to Alpha's "composite event". Alpha sent a package to F.B.I. Special Agent Paul Ballard containing a video of Caroline, presumably at her University. Agent Ballard noted that the hand writing on both envelopes were similar. "Man on the Street" This time Alpha was mentioned by Sierra's handler when in was thought that Victor was rapeing Siera, he claimed Victor could be pretending to behave just like Alpha did sugesting Alpha may have Composited a little while before his escape and simply waited for the right time to escape. Victor was later cleared. Alpha' may have somone on the inside of the house it self who programed Echo to give Paul a message on the Dollhouse and to find its true purpose has well has saying there are multiple houses. Relationships The Dollhouse It is uncertain what kind of relationship Alpha had with those involved with the Dollhouse before his composite event and escape, although in "Stage Fright", Dr. Saunders mentioned he was the best Active (before Echo). However, after the composite event, that relationship became hostile (see above, "The Target"). Echo One of the biggest mysteries to date involving Alpha is his relationship with the Active Echo. She was one of the lucky ones who was spared from his rampage (even though the room in which she was found was filled with his dead victims). It is also suggested that he has been observing (in "Ghost") and testing Echo (in "The Target" and "Gray Hour") for an unknown reason. Echo is also the only person that has seen his face but she most likely dosent rember it due to the wipes. This could also explain why in the Target when she was drugged and was confronted by him in a memory his face was in shadow/ dark, or that she simply repressed her memory of him on her own. Agent Ballard Alpha (it would seem) has been sending him information on the Dollhouse and Echo providing him with his only known major leads on the Dollhouse, acting as a silent partner and informant in Paul Ballard's investigation. Lair It is currently unkown where exactly Alpha has set up shop but considering his intrest in Echo he is most likely in the San Fransisco area, and more than likely underground in order to avoide detection. He may even have multiple lairs in order to strenghthen his need for secrecy and to avoide detection. Recent picture evidence shows his lair (or one of them is undergrond) and resembles a boiler room, or power station. There also apeares to be a wipeing chair present has well along with many computers. Some think this could mean Alpha is experimenting with the very technolegy that made him. But if you look closely at the base of the chair there are multiple engravings one of which while upside down clearly says "Danger". This could mean the device is actually some form of shrine that Alpha has to remind himself what has been done to him and what he is fighting for. Category:Characters